RAMALLAH, March 17, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestine Network called for an immediate suspension of all acts of provocation by Israel, and called upon governments of the world to intervene in order to stop Israel's Right-Wing government and its allies of settlers and hooligans from committing additional acts of aggression in Jerusalem.
The set on the ground in Jerusalem, today and over the past months, gives the lie to the statements of Israel’s PM Netanyahu in which he said “We will continue to keep Jerusalem an open city accessible to all religions - a city where Jews and Arabs, Christians and Muslims live in together and have freedom of religion and access to religious sites…” when addressed the Knesset in honor of the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, on Tuesday.
Netanyahu’s statements are proven ill, right when the clashes that broke out between Palestinians and Israeli police in two areas of occupied East Jerusalem over the closure of al-Aqsa Mosque during the inauguration of a synagogue in the Old City. This is a matter of serious concern, not only over the future of the geography of Jerusalem and the impact on its residents, but also on the overall state of affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Thousands of Israeli officers have been deployed in occupied East Jerusalem and nearby villages after the inauguration of the so-called Hurva (Destruction) Synagogue and clashes have ensued between Palestinians and Israeli police in the Shu’afat and Essawiyya neighborhoods. Over 50 Palestinians have been arrested by the Israeli police till the issue of this press release, and more than 90 others injured, while the Israeli military has extended its imposed total closure on the West Bank.
Furthermore, dozens of extremist Jewish settlers are still expected to pour into the Old City to celebrate the official inauguration of the so–called Hurva Synagogue causing more tension and anxiety for Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem.
The inauguration of this synagogue inside the capital of the Palestinian State is yet another example of the current Israeli government’s acts of belligerence and support of radical Jewish fundamentalist movements that look to lay a cornerstone for the construction of the alleged Third Temple in place of al-Haram al-Sharif, while banning Palestinian residents of Jerusalem from entering the city: even journalists are denied access to provide coverage of the ongoing clashes.
It called on the friends of Palestine to voice with their governments an urgent need for immediate steps to end the aggression on the people of Palestine, their land, and property.
